


New Experiences

by afewmistakesago



Series: Pizza Man Gold [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Babysitting, F/M, and some swanfire, featuring baby henry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 13:05:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5206961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmistakesago/pseuds/afewmistakesago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>iwadab-me asked:<br/>I GOT ONE Snowed In!Belle and Gold have to babysit baby Henry very last minute and unexpected and shenanigans happen?</p>
<p>Direct follow up to "Exes"</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Experiences

**Author's Note:**

> Not so much shenangians as reflection, but y'know. Hope you guys like this!

Alexander unlocked the door to Emma and Neal’s house, and Belle followed him closely as they made their way to the living room. The babysitter, a teenaged-looking girl, - Wendy, Belle thought her name was - was walking in circles with a crying Henry on her hip, and she jumped when she saw them enter the room, rushing over. She handed Henry off to Alexander, who cooed at the baby and got him to calm down. Belle was nervously watching the fussy baby struggle in his grandfather’s arms, his little chubby cheeks flushed. She reached over to put her hand to his forehead, but Alexander had misunderstood and handed her Henry himself. Floundering a bit, she held him slightly away from her body, wondering if she should have some kind of instinct about how to do this.

 

“How long has he been like this?” Alexander asked, turning his attention to the babysitter.

 

“He was asleep when I got here, about an hour ago he woke up and wouldn’t stop crying, and he’s not hungry and his diaper is clean, and he seemed hot, so I gave him some baby motrin, and I called Emma and Neal and you were the next name on the -” Wendy said nervously, wringing her wrists.

 

Alexander stepped towards her, giving her a reassuring look. “You did the right thing. I think Belle and I have it from here. Did Emma and Neal pay you when you got here?” he asked Wendy, who was watching Belle hold Henry nervously.

 

She nodded, but grabbed her purse off a close couch. “I could give some back, Mr. Gold, I was supposed to be here for three more hours,” she said quickly, digging for her wallet.

 

Alexander held his hand up, shaking his head. “Keep it. Let me walk you to the door,” he said, following the babysitter. Belle heard him encourage her to drive home safely, and when he came back in, he gave her a funny look.

 

“Have you… ever held a baby before, sweetheart?” he asked, his tone not unkind, but genuinely curious. Belle was holding Henry a bit away from her chest, her hands under his armpits. She attempted to bring him closer to her body, but he arched his back and screamed, and Belle handed him to Alexander, who was already waiting with his hands ready for impact.

 

He took Henry easily, whispering sweet words with no meaning to him as he danced around the living room. Henry calmed down, resting his head on Alexander’s shoulder. Alexander looked away from the baby’s head, looking at Belle. “You didn’t answer my question,” he said lightly, moving to sit on the couch, adjusting a now-sleepy Henry gently.

 

Belle sat down next to him, leaving space between them on the couch. “Now that I… think about it, no. I haven’t really held a baby.”

 

He seemed amused by this, smirking a bit. Belle was an only child, and none of her friends had children yet. It just wasn’t something that she needed to know how to do. Henry stirred, and they both looked down, but the child didn’t wake up again. “I think his fever’s gone,” Alexander said softly, gently pushing back Henry’s damp, messy hair.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to call a doctor?” Belle asked, worry still evident on her face.

 

“Relax, sweetheart,” he reminded her gently, “I’ve done this before.”

 

“Do you want to hold him?” her boyfriend asked after a moment of silence, and Belle bit her lip, then held out her arms. Alexander carefully took his small body, placing it in Belle’s arms. Henry fussed a little, then readjusted himself be comfortable, his head resting in the crook of her arm. For a moment, he looked at her with his big, watery blue eyes, and Belle was bracing for him to start object to being in her arms, but he kept quiet. “You’re a natural,” Alexander said with a small smile. “I’m going to try calling Neal and Emma again.”

 

Belle sat on the couch while he walked to another room so as not to disturb Henry, and she realized that if she married Alexander, she’d be a step-grandmother. That was an odd prospect. She’d always been more interested in men older than her, but now she had one. The tiny, warm body she was holding would be her step-grandchild. Belle took a deep breath, reminding herself to focus on the present. While Henry slept soundly on her lap, she managed to reach for the remote and turn on some TV program, muting it before the sound disturbed Henry. After a moment, Belle felt her own eyes fluttering. It had been a long day, all things considered. She drowsily tried to focus her attention on something, her eyes flickering from the screen to the baby in her lap. When she felt a weight next to her, she smiled. Alexander sat next to her, placing his hand on her thigh. “You two doing okay?” he whispered, and Belle nodded.

 

“I think he’s out,” she said, and they both looked at his tiny, angelic face. She had met Henry before, when Alexander had invited Neal and Emma over, but the little man had spent most of his time happily sleeping in his rocking carrier. This was her first time _really_ seeing him, and he was beautiful.

 

“Do you want to move him to his room? Neal and Emma are halfway back,” Alexander suggested, motioning to the stairs that surely led to Henry’s room.

 

Belle shook her head. “I want to keep him here,” she said firmly. Henry was perfectly comfortable, and to be honest, it was nice to know that she could do this. She liked the feeling of his small weight against her in his soft footie pajamas with tiny ducks on the feet. Alexander smiled, leaning back and admiring the sight in front of him.

 

“What?” Belle said curiously.

 

“It’s just wonderful, you know? My girlfriend and my grandson. It’s… peaceful,” he said quietly, leaning towards her carefully and kissing her temple. Belle smiled at him, and held his free hand in hers. With her head leaning on his shoulder, they were nestled together on the couch, and Belle felt tranquil. They turned their attention to the mute TV, waiting on Henry’s parents to arrive.

 

After a few minutes, the door opened, and the concerned parents were soon in the room. Emma quickly took Henry from Belle’s arms, feeling his forehead for a fever, and Neal was watching Belle with a mysterious look on his face. Belle got up from the couch, with Alexander putting his hand on the small of her back.

 

“Thanks for coming,” Neal whispered as Emma carried her son up to his room. “We appreciate it.”

 

“Of course,” Belle said, and Alexander agreed, “It’s what family is for.”

 

“Did you miss most of the game?” Alexander asked seriously, and Neal shrugged. “We saw enough. The second we looked at our phones and saw all the messages, we bolted.” Emma had re-joined their group, smiling appreciatively at Belle and Alexander. “He seems okay for now. I’ll let you know if he’s still sick tomorrow,” Emma said to them.

 

“Sounds good,” Alexander said, then he looked at his watch. “Belle has work tomorrow, so we should be going,” he said, hugging his son and daughter-in-law. Emma and Neal hugged Belle as well, and they were out the door within a few minutes.

 

“Tonight was certainly… something,” Alexander said as he turned his car on.

 

“It was,” Belle replied, leaning her feet up on the dashboard of his car. “I learned that my ex is still a jerk, and I know how to hold a baby now.”

 

“And I learned that in comparison to your ex, I -”

  
“Don’t even go there,” Belle said ruefully, staring straight at the road ahead of them, then bursting into a fit of laughter. When they arrived at her apartment, Belle felt that parting was truly sweet sorrow. He walked her to her door, kissing her slowly and meaningfully, before she finally forced herself to whisper that she had work in the morning. He protested a bit, but agreed, kissing her forehead and promising to call her the next day.


End file.
